Diabetes is a prevalent ailment that usually involves impairing the body’s tendency to process blood sugar or glucose. Meanwhile, there are specific steps, precautions, and other activities for diabetes patients, such as monitoring blood sugar levels/Insulin or a commodity like diabetic compression socks.
So, through this article, you will be provided with some essential information on the disease, its types, prevention, exercise, and diet tips.
Types of Diabetes
There are primarily two main categories of Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes
Juvenile Diabetes or Type 1 Diabetes is caused due to lack of production of insulin in the body. Generally, a person with this Diabetes receives a diagnosis during their childhood.
It would be best if patients with Type 1 Diabetes took insulin daily. And they can do so with an insulin pump or injections. There is no cure for this type of Diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes
The body of a person who suffers from Type 2 Diabetes either does not make insulin or won’t use it properly. This category of Diabetes is also closely connected to obesity. Meanwhile, in most cases, the right medicines, with alterations in diet and exercise, work wonders for Type 2 Diabetes patients.
There are two other prominent types of Diabetes, namely, Gestational Diabetes (which occurs in the pregnancy period when the person develops low insulin sensitivity) and Prediabetes (When a person has elevated blood sugar levels but not the required minimum for diagnosis of Diabetes).
Prevention of Diabetes
You cannot prevent type 1 diabetes. But you can try to save yourself from type 2 diabetes by doing the following particular steps:
- Having a moderate body weight.
- Consuming a balanced diet that has significantly less added sugars, processed foods, and saturated fats.
- Regularly exercising.
Moreover, if you want to reduce the chances of having Gestational Diabetes, you should maintain a certain medium weight before becoming pregnant. Also, it is crucial to know that you may still have type 2 diabetes irrespective of taking up these steps.
Exercise and Dietary Tips
If you have been diagnosed with Diabetes, a doctor will ask you to make some lifestyle changes. This is done to support weight management and the person’s overall health. So, it would help if you took the following steps post diagnosis:
- Eat a diet that is high in nutritious, fresh food such as low-fat dairy, lean proteins, healthy fat sources, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
- You should avoid any high-sugar food which gives away calories with no health benefits whatsoever. These dishes include fried foods, sweetened sodas, and high-sugar desserts.
- Please refrain from taking alcohol or reduce the intake to one drink a day.
- Engage in 30 minutes of exercise or physical activity daily or a minimum of five days like aerobics, walking, riding a bike, or swimming.
- Use a pair of diabetic compression socks to comfort your legs since Diabetes can cause massive damage to the blood vessels in your feet.
- Check for low blood sugar signs during exercises such as profuse sweating, weakness, confusion, or dizziness.
Diabetes is a condition that needs careful blood sugar monitoring clubbed with a healthy lifestyle for its proper management. And according to the type of Diabetes, you may have to administer insulin or take extra medications to elevate body glucose absorption.
It is strongly recommended to make some lifestyle changes for your well-being if diagnosed. Lastly, in case you have prediabetes, you can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes through proper exercise and eating a balanced diet.
